1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for removing air and/or debris from a flow of liquid, and, more particularly, to an apparatus including a coalescing medium for removing air and/or debris from a flow of water.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known to use a filter to remove air and/or dirt from a flow of water. Such flows of water are commonly used in conjunction with pressure booster systems, heat exchangers, pumps, and water heaters, for example. Dirt or debris is caught or removed from the flow by the filter, and the dirt then falls to the bottom of the filter's housing. Small air bubbles form on the filter and then coalesce into larger bubbles that float to the top of the filter's housing. Previously known coalescing media/filters include a solid cylindrical copper core disposed concentrically within a cylindrical metal wire mesh. The mesh includes a continuous, substantially horizontal metal wire that is spiraled around the core and supported by substantially vertical wire segments that are evenly spaced in the horizontal direction. An array of copper wires extends radially from an outer surface of the core to thereby interconnect the core and the mesh. The opposite ends of each copper wire are respectively attached to the core and to the mesh such as by soldering.
A problem is that these prior art coalescing medium/filters are difficult to manufacture. The steps of forming the metal wire spiral, soldering the vertical wire segments to the metal wire spiral to form a wire mesh, and soldering the copper wires to the solid cylindrical copper core and to the wire mesh are all labor intensive, time consuming, and costly. Another problem is that, although copper is relatively easy to solder, copper corrodes in a flow of water and is structurally weak. Thus, copper is not extremely durable for water filtering applications, and filters that include copper may need to be periodically replaced. Another disadvantage of copper is that it is a relatively expensive metal.
What is needed in the art is an apparatus for removing air or debris from a flow of liquid wherein the apparatus includes a coalescing medium that can be easily and inexpensively manufactured. What is further needed in the art is an apparatus for removing air or debris from a flow of liquid wherein the apparatus is durable and does not need to be frequently replaced.